The invention generally relates to systems and methods for guiding or locating diagnostic or therapeutic elements in interior regions of the body.
Physicians make use of catheters today in medical procedures to gain access into interior regions of the body for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. It is important for the physician to be able to reliably and precisely position in proximity to desired tissue locations. For example, the need for precise control over the catheter is especially critical during procedures that ablate myocardial tissue from within the heart. These procedures, called ablation therapy, are used to treat cardiac rhythm disturbances.
One aspect of the invention provides a system to record use of a structure deployed in operative association with heart tissue in a patient. An image controller generates an image of the structure while in use in the patient. An input receives data including information identifying the patient. An output processes the image in association with the data as a patient-specific, data base record for storage, retrieval, or manipulation.
In a preferred embodiment, the data that forms part of the data base record include other relevant information. For example, the data includes information identifying the procedure, or diagnostic information, or therapeutic information, or time stamped information, or processing information documenting the storage, retrieval, or manipulation of the data, or information identifying a person other than the patient (such as the attending physician). In a preferred embodiment, the output password-protects the data base record.
In a preferred embodiment, the image controller includes functions to alter orientation, or shape, or view aspects of the image before or after processing by the output. In a preferred embodiment, the image controller also includes functions to mark or otherwise annotate one or more regions of the image in response to operator input before or after processing by the output.
In a preferred embodiment, the image controller generates a proximity-indicating output showing the proximity of a roving element, deployed in the patient, to the structure.
Another aspect of the invention provides a system for diagnosing or treating cardiac conditions of multiple patients. The system includes a network of local work stations, each one adapted to be coupled to an electrode structure, which, in use, is deployed in operative association with heart tissue of a patient. Each local work station includes an image controller to generate an image of the structure at least partially while the operative element performs a procedure in an interior body region. An input receives data including information identifying the patient, and an output processes the image in association with the data as a patient-specific, data base record for storage, retrieval, or manipulation. The system further includes a central terminal coupled to the output of each work station. The central terminal receives the patient-specific data base records for all work stations for storage in a central patient data base.
Other features and advantages of the inventions are set forth in the following Description and Drawings, as well as in the appended claims.